It is not unique for autism to be confused with other pervasive developmental disorders (PDD), such as Asperger's disorder or syndrome, or to have overlapping symptoms. Doctors use the term autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to describe people with mild symptoms, severe symptoms, or symptoms that fall anywhere in between. Although autistic symptoms in children may lessen with age, autism is a lifelong disorder.
Autism Signs and Symptoms
The symptoms and aspects of autism can present themselves in a wide variety of combinations, from mild to severe. Some typical autism symptoms are presented and the intent is to create a better understanding of the autistic disorder. The diagnostic listing of symptoms and behaviors associated with autism is long, and each affected person expresses his or her own combination of these behaviors.
These symptoms alone don't confirm a diagnosis of autism, but are taken into account when evaluating children. The list of signs and symptoms mentioned in a large number of resources for autism includes those presented below. It is valuable to pay attention to autism symptoms when suspecting that a child might be dealing with from the disorder. Doctors look for particular symptoms in communication and social impairments to diagnose autism.
- social interaction impairment (poor eye-to-eye gazing, lack of social reciprocity, no peer relations)
- communication impairment (can't sustain a conversation, lack of spontaneous play, delay in development of language)
- repeating/stereotyped patterns of behavior (repetitive motor habits, pre-occupation with parts of objects , preoccupation with one or more stereotyped and restricted patterns of interest that is abnormal either in intensity or focus, repeated hand or finger flapping or twisting, complex whole body movements, preoccupation with parts of objects)
More symptoms of autism include difficulty with verbal and nonverbal communication. There could be symptoms not related to autism, and this is certainly not intended to be a complete list of symptoms.
Variability of Autism Symptoms
Autism symptoms can range from mild to severe and differ in intensity from symptom to symptom. Children with autism can exhibit a wide range of symptoms, which range in severity from mild to disabling. Autism is sometimes coupled with retardation, which makes the majority of teaching techniques ineffective. Because the symptoms of autism may vary greatly from person to person, there is no one 'best' treatment which is able to help everyone. Because of autism's variety, its symptoms seem best understood when presented descriptively and with select examples. Furthermore, signs and symptoms of Autism may vary on an individual basis for each patient. Children with Autism symptoms also vary a good deal in their mental abilities as well as their communicative skills.
Autism and Asperger's Syndrome
Cognitive symptoms and social symptoms need to be looked at together as core features of both autism and Asperger's syndrome. Asperger syndrome and autism are quite similar in behavioral symptoms. Asperger's syndrome is a form of autism where language and aptitude are standard and autistic symptoms present later in childhood. What distinguishes Asperger's Syndrome from autism is the severity of the symptoms and the absence of language delays.
Diagnosis
The diagnosis of Autistic Disorder consists of a total of at least six observational items from social impairment, communication impairment and behavior impairment categories outlined (see list) with minimally two from social impairment, and one each from communication impairment and behavior impairment. Just your doctor can give out sufficient diagnosis of any signs or symptoms and whether they are indeed autism symptoms. He or she can help to determine whether the symptoms are caused by autism, a related disorder, or another condition. Diagnosis of autism may be hard, because the condition varies widely in terms of its symptoms and degree of severity. The diagnosis of autism is established by the presence or absence of a collection of behavioral symptoms using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV).
Children with autism may display mild, moderate or severe symptoms in three areas (social, communication and behavior). Because the symptoms of autism could vary greatly from person to person, there is no one 'best' treatment which will benefit everyone. Certain children exhibited symptoms of autism in their first-year birthday video, such as less frequent use of words or babbling. Additional autistic children who behaved typically at age 1, appeared to go back and suggested typical symptoms of autism by age 2.
Severity of Symptoms
There is a range of severity in autism symptoms, and for this reason the term “autism spectrum disorders” is often used. Children with autism could have numerous behaviors and abilities due to the severity of their symptoms. Clinical accounts hint that that conditions resembling autism do not vary just in terms of severity, but also in pattern of symptoms. Due to the fact that it varies widely in its severity and symptoms, autism might go unrecognized, especially in mildly affected persons or in those with multiple handicaps. Based on data from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), people with autism have normal life expectancies and can lead typical or near-normal lives, depending on the severity of their symptoms.
Conclusion - Autism Treatment
Some children in treatment programs eliminate enough of their most disabling autism symptoms to function reasonably well in a regular classroom. In 1996, a young boy with autism was supplied secretin for an endoscopy and showed improvements in certain of his symptoms of autism. Some have noted the improvement of autism symptoms to treatment with vancomycin. Medications used to treat anxiety and depression are being investigated as a way to diminish certain autism symptoms. Atypical neuroleptics look to be promising agents to treat behavioral symptoms frequently arising among autism patients. Authorities agree that early intervention is important in addressing the symptoms associated with autism. Children do not "outgrow" autism but symptoms may diminish as the child develops and receives care. Over the years, a variety of interventions have demonstrated promise for improving symptoms of autism in particular children. There are many diverse medications that are prescribed to treat the symptoms of autism. It has been reported that there are no well-established medications to treat core symptoms of autism.
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